When should I worry about a 2 month old juvenile cali kingsnake not eating? Ive had him a week but he hasnt ate in two weeks and next week if he refuses will be his third week without food. My husbandry is correct with temperatures being 80-82 ambient and 86 hotspot and cool side being 70-74 and humidity being 30-50%.
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I would be concerned because at 2 months there’s not much time to build up a good number of meals and establish them.
There’s a few colubrid breeders here regularly that I’m going to tag. Mostly corns but hopefully they can offer better advice for getting this little one going. In the meantime I’ll ask a few questions to get started for them
@noodlehaus @deanaii @caryl
And iirc @cmsreptiles works with kings.
How large is the enclosure?
How are you offering the meal?
Live or ft?
Have you been handling this snake?
Was this a pet store or breeder purchase? If breeder I would try and get in touch with them so you can ask how they got them going.
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General rule of getting any new snake is to leave them alone a full week before attempting a feed. So long as he’s in good body condition I wouldn’t worry too much just yet. Definitely need answers to @armiyana’s questions to get a better overall picture of his time with you and what you’ve tried so far.
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Ive had him a week and ill admit ive handled him a couple times and tried to feed him multiple times which may have added on stress. I have him in a 20 gallon long tank. And the breeder i got him from said he was eating fine but said i needed to feed in a small container but i dont want to do that
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Have him in a 20 gallon long, i have handled him a couple times and have tried to feed fuzzies a couple of times but they seem to be too big so im gonna try a pinkie next Tuesday. Im gonna completely leave him alone except to fill his water bowl up. And see if that helps. If it doesn’t idk what to do
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I also wanna say the breeder kept him in a deli container at 78f never above 80 for some reason
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I’m gonna say the handling, repeat feeding attempts, and feeder size all contributed to this little one not eating. Definitely do leave him alone and try a pinky next feeding. Then wait a minimum of probably 72 hours if he does eat to let him digest. You’re going to want to get a scale to keep track of his weight and to know what the appropriate size meal is as he grows. Don’t worry too much just yet. He’s had a very big change in his living arrangements, he just needs some time to settle in.
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Yea im stupid. I was just excited about having him. But until next Tuesday or i will definitely leave him alone aside from giving him fresh water and try a pinky. I will be back here with an update. Thank yall.
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A 20g does make it a little tough for a smol noodle to figure out what to do. The deli trick is to keep them from running off and hiding instead and have to actually sniff and realize food is there.
If you don’t want to feed him in a deli cup, you can try a small brown paper bag. You can leave it open in the enclosure with him and the pinkie and he should still be able to get out and about afterwards.
Second everything Jess has said so far as well.
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Temps and humidity look good, enclosure size looks good for a 2 month old if he has plenty of spaces to hide and substrate to burrow in.
Definitely let the little one settle in longer. No interaction outside of spot cleaning or water changes until you have him eating consistently, you’ll know when he is because his appetite might make a 180, kings are known for being voracious lol.
Start with pinkies, at 2 months old I’d imagine he might not be able to take anything larger than a small peach fuzzy but pinks are a safe option for now. Do you have any photos of the little dude? Might be able to judge the health of him if I can see what his current body condition is.
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Why don’t you want to feed in separate enclosure? If it’s because you’ve seen internet newbs say it’s stressful and bad, they’re wrong.
You’ve been given lots of good advice. Feed as the breeder recommended until he’s an established feeder, and then you can do it the way you want to do it, as long as it’s safe. 
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Yes to leaving him alone to settle in before you try feeding again. He’s in a whole new situation and he doesn’t feel safe yet. If they don’t feel safe, they won’t eat. It’s hard to leave the exciting new snake alone, we get it. But leaving him alone for a couple of weeks now will pay dividends in having him settle in and start feeding sooner, which means you can start handling him sooner.
This. 
Feeding him in his accustomed manner at first, especially after a period of extra stress in a new place, will help him to feel like eating is a safe thing to do. Once he’s established, taking regular meals (at least 3-5 with no refusals), feel free to switch to a different safe routine as you see fit.
Be patient while he adjusts to his new home. You will hopefully have many years to enjoy your new little dude. 
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Yea i read online about it being stressful to feed in a separate container but i will try it if he refuses his next meal. He seems scared of the fuzzies so im doing pinkies next.
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Im just real worried because the last time he ate was before he was shipped to me which was 2 weeks ago and then if he refuses next Tuesday it will be his third week off food so im very worried about that
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Dean is so right about this. If the breeder was feeding the little guy in a separate container then this is your best bet to get him to eat. It helps to put the container in a dark place as well.
Your first priority is to get him eating consistently. Then you can try feeding him in his tank…………
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Ill try it next Tuesday, but im conflicted about temperatures, cause for a California king i keep seeing different answers. My ambient gest 79-82. With a basking spot of 88. Yet i see some people on facebook tell me 88 is too hot for basking. They also say 82 is too hot for ambient so idk whats right
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Get a temp gun so you can spot check temps everywhere in your snakes cage. If you are relying on stick-on thermometers, don’t. The temps you mentioned are fine. If 86° under a light was too warm no snake would survive in the wild, let alone in captivity.
All of the above is good advice. Feed him the same way he is used to being fed until he decides anywhere is a good place to eat. Looks very healthy so I wouldnt stress it too much. He’ll eat 
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Aw, he’s pretty! He looks like he’s in good shape. You can try asks relax about him starving. He’s not. I know, believe me, I know that when one doesn’t eat, it feels like he is going to starve and die in the same way a mammal would. He’s not, but understanding that in your head and feeling it in your heart are different. Healthy reptiles are quite able to go weeks or even months without food for various normal reasons. Your baby will eat when he feels safe and warm and secure in his new space.
As we’ve said, do leave him alone except for offering food for the next few weeks. He looks like he should be on pinkies, not fuzzies. Food that’s too big isn’t helpful and can be harmful if he does it and regurges. Stick with pinkies until he’s bigger. Do stick with feeding in a deli since that’s what’s he’s been used to. In fact, you can put the deli and the lid (separately) you’ll be using into him main enclosure now and just leave it there as part of the decor. He’ll be more fully accustomed to it, thinking of it as part of “home” when you put him in it with his food.
Questions:
How are you checking your temps?
Where specifically are you checking temps? The snake is down in the substrate so that’s what matters. Air temp isn’t too important, as unless your home is really hot or cold it’s going to be fine.
How are you providing heat? Is it on 24 hours?
Again, try and relax. Trust the care guides here and don’t stress about the 4000 other “helpful” internet advisors. You and your snake are going to be great.
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Hey so aside from the thermostat, i have digital thermometers on both sides, and i have temperature gun. And then theres a group im apart of on facebook thats for kingsnakes and people there say 85 is ok and others say its too hot. I currently have my thermostat set to 80 which gives a basking spot of about 83. But the digital thermometer on the hot side says 77-79f and the cool says anywhere between 70-73f. I use a CHE on for 24hrs. I understand in the wild they have different temps but im just confused about the 100 different answers
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